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Mission: Nation Down, Book 2
The dead aren't the only threat.
On the road with proof of the truth behind the outbreak, Rob and Bec are ambushed. Rob is left broken while Bec is dragged into captivity. Their mission for justice becomes a fight to survive.
Obi refuses to leave them behind. With Ruiz, Owens, and Gator by his side, he launches a desperate rescue into a town ruled by fear and cruelty. The deeper they push, the clearer it this isn’t just about saving two lives. It is about exposing what people will become when the world ends. The price will be devastating. Trust will fracture, hope will be tested, and not everyone will make it out alive. In the end, survival will not just require courage, it will demand sacrifice.
Mission is the second brutal chapter in Devon C. Ford’s apocalyptic saga. Featuring loads of gritty, realistic action and terrifying enemies that will keep you up at night, this tale of survival is sure to be the next hit in the genre.
On the road with proof of the truth behind the outbreak, Rob and Bec are ambushed. Rob is left broken while Bec is dragged into captivity. Their mission for justice becomes a fight to survive.
Obi refuses to leave them behind. With Ruiz, Owens, and Gator by his side, he launches a desperate rescue into a town ruled by fear and cruelty. The deeper they push, the clearer it this isn’t just about saving two lives. It is about exposing what people will become when the world ends. The price will be devastating. Trust will fracture, hope will be tested, and not everyone will make it out alive. In the end, survival will not just require courage, it will demand sacrifice.
Mission is the second brutal chapter in Devon C. Ford’s apocalyptic saga. Featuring loads of gritty, realistic action and terrifying enemies that will keep you up at night, this tale of survival is sure to be the next hit in the genre.
Audible Audio
Published October 28, 2025
About the author
Devon C. Ford
83 books436 followersDevon is from the UK, having lived in many places until finally settling in the Midlands. His career in public services started in his teens and has provided a wealth of experiences, both good and some very bad, which form the basis of the book ideas that cause regular insomnia.
He first started reading for fun as an adult, having tried his hardest to avoid anything resembling academia growing up, and at that point the world became a far bigger place. He has been reading, at least one book at a time, ever since.
His debut works, the After It Happened series, (Survival, Humanity, Society) were published in April 2016 followed by Hope (July 2016) and Sanctuary (December 2016). The first part of the series concluded with the release of Rebellion which was published in June 2017.
Storming high into the charts with the first books of the After It Happened series, Devon launched into the top 10 sellers listings in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, and he made the decision to write full time shortly after the launch of Hope.
Devon’s self-published beginnings caused a stir in the publishing world, and resulted in contracts with Podium Publishing for Audible, narrated by R.C. Bray (The Martian, Expeditionary Force, Arisen), before a publishing deal for kindle and paperbacks with Vulpine Press.
Further works have seen the start of a multi-author series, sci-fi/post-apocalyptic cross genre, futuristic dystopian and alternative history zombie apocalypse. Spin-off books from the After It Happened world have been announced for 2018.
He first started reading for fun as an adult, having tried his hardest to avoid anything resembling academia growing up, and at that point the world became a far bigger place. He has been reading, at least one book at a time, ever since.
His debut works, the After It Happened series, (Survival, Humanity, Society) were published in April 2016 followed by Hope (July 2016) and Sanctuary (December 2016). The first part of the series concluded with the release of Rebellion which was published in June 2017.
Storming high into the charts with the first books of the After It Happened series, Devon launched into the top 10 sellers listings in the UK, Australia, Canada and the US, and he made the decision to write full time shortly after the launch of Hope.
Devon’s self-published beginnings caused a stir in the publishing world, and resulted in contracts with Podium Publishing for Audible, narrated by R.C. Bray (The Martian, Expeditionary Force, Arisen), before a publishing deal for kindle and paperbacks with Vulpine Press.
Further works have seen the start of a multi-author series, sci-fi/post-apocalyptic cross genre, futuristic dystopian and alternative history zombie apocalypse. Spin-off books from the After It Happened world have been announced for 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 1, 2025
OMG, the second book in the Nation Down series was absolutely fantastic. Mission was non stop action with many gut wrenching moments. A big surprise at the end and I would definitely give it more than five stars if I could. A very exciting story and I can't wait for the next book.
January 13, 2026
This was one of the best books I’ve read this year. Well, ok, I’ve only read 5 books this year but this was the best and it’s going to be hard to beat. I didn’t particularly like the first book, “Enclave”, in this series, but I certainly do like this book.
The world has gone to heck as you know from the first book. Someone released some kind of virus that quickly spread through the population causing people to turn into mindless zombies. If I had know that the first book involved zombies, I probably wouldn’t have read the book since I’m not that crazy about zombie sorties or even zombie PC games. Yet, getting through the first book wasn’t all that bad. We met Rob (Robert) Lewis and eventually Rebecca (Bec) who was a young woman that Rob or rather his sidekick, Gerry, almost shot dead near Enclave Twelve.
Now you know Bec has a history with the CIA. She was some how involved with that organization and fled Washington D. C. with a Congressman that was supposed to have some very vital information destined for the President of the United States. Unfortunately, that Congressman and his party had to travel to the Presidents new stronghold out in Colorado. They didn’t make it. Bec, as we know, managed to survive the convoy carnage and that’s how she stumbled into Rob and Gerry’s sights at Enclave Twelve.
Once Rob found that they hadn’t killed her, they brought her into Enclave Twelve where she was eventually put to work. She didn’t want to tell anyone what she had in her possession because she did know that some of it involved the military. Enclave Twelve is ran by a rather stern Army Colonel who wanted to know what Bec knew so that maybe he would become more important to his superiors in Enclave One where the President resided. Yet, Bec didn’t want to turn anything over to anyone expect the President himself. So, she managed to befriend Rob and he eventually agreed to help her escape Enclave Twelve.
Meanwhile, Enclave One had heard of the Congressman’s attempt to reach that Enclave and that his convoy had been intercepted by the zombies, a.k.a., “Zekes” and pretty much destroyed. What they didn’t know was whether the Congressman had survived the attack or if he still have the vital information he was bringing still with him. So, they sent a Special Operator to conduct a search and rescue if warranted. That is where Sergeant First Class Obi and Master Sergeant Gator come into the book. “Obi” as he calls himself is a one man army and Gator is his dog, attack dog if you make the wrong moves. He asks the Colonel of Enclave Twelve to send someone with him since it’s not good to go roaming about the country side on your lonesome. So, Rob gets the call. Here he learns a lot about how to stay alive in a world gone mad.
They don’t find anything while searching for the Congressman, oh, they find him alright, but he’s had a bullet through his skull by one of the military guys that had accompanied him on his trip. It seems the convoy got attacked, the Congressman and some of the military had fled to a vacant garage and stayed there until the Congressman got too scared of just staying put. He broke out of the garage and ran right into a bunch of Zekes. Of course he got bit and that’s all it takes to turn your brain to much, but you don’t die. You become a Zeke and your favorite meal is a fresh human! It seems that the last military guy with the Congressman saw him turn into a Zeke so he shot him through the brain to make him permanently dead. This he told to Obi and Rob before he put a bullet through his own brain!
Ok, so Obi says he likes working with Rob. Rob’s not military but he can shoot pretty well and he doesn’t blabber all the time nor does he panic when the going gets rough. So, he tells Rob that if he needs any help sometime to give him a call and give Rob on of his satellite radio/telephones. Rob uses it to tell Obi that he and Bec are leaving Enclave Twelve and they need some help getting to Enclave One and the President. Initially Obi says he can’t get them an airlift so he tells them to head out on a specific route and he’ll try to meet them later.
Bec and Rob find a functioning truck and head out on the route Obi gave them. Everything is going fine until the his this town that unknown to them has been taken over by a bunch of lawless thugs! Here’s where they manage to destroy the truck Rob was driving, capture Bec and stick her in some house while throwing Rob in a jail cell. They have set themselves up in the Sheriff’s office having killed the Sheriff and his Deputies in pretty much cold blood. These thugs just didn’t like taking orders from the Sheriff so they took things into their own hands.
Obi finally gets some airlift although it’s not necessarily to go and find Rob and Bec. He kind of threatens the Air Force pilots to take his Osprey and land when they see Rob’s overturned and destroyed truck. They know something isn’t right with this town since the first people they see start shooting at them. Oh, Obi is accompanied by another Special Forces guy and a Navy Seal that both volunteered to help with the situation and of course, Obi has Gator.
From here on you’ll read about some pretty good stuff on how a well trained Special Forces Operator operates. He’s good at what he does and amateurs really don’t stand a chance. It’s bad enough that he has to kill former humans who have become zombies, but he really hates to have to kill guys that have just turned into idiots. For the most of this book, Rob is out of action. He got pretty banged up in the truck collision so it’s taking him a while to get well. Bec, meanwhile, is more than willing to help out and she does in ways some unexpected.
You’ll also read that something isn’t right with conditions in Enclave One. It’s definitely a military ran operation but doesn’t seem to be what’s going to save the nation. We do have some very unfortunate action very late in the book. I was surprised it happen, but now I’m more then ever ready to read book 3, “Isolation”, as soon as possible. It doesn’t appear to be available until 24 February 2026, so we’ve got a little wait.
==[Note 1 (12/23/2025): I’m no longer associated with Amazon and will no longer provide any links to books from that website. You can usually find books that you like at your usual source.]==
==[Note 2: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be posted on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. ]==
The world has gone to heck as you know from the first book. Someone released some kind of virus that quickly spread through the population causing people to turn into mindless zombies. If I had know that the first book involved zombies, I probably wouldn’t have read the book since I’m not that crazy about zombie sorties or even zombie PC games. Yet, getting through the first book wasn’t all that bad. We met Rob (Robert) Lewis and eventually Rebecca (Bec) who was a young woman that Rob or rather his sidekick, Gerry, almost shot dead near Enclave Twelve.
Now you know Bec has a history with the CIA. She was some how involved with that organization and fled Washington D. C. with a Congressman that was supposed to have some very vital information destined for the President of the United States. Unfortunately, that Congressman and his party had to travel to the Presidents new stronghold out in Colorado. They didn’t make it. Bec, as we know, managed to survive the convoy carnage and that’s how she stumbled into Rob and Gerry’s sights at Enclave Twelve.
Once Rob found that they hadn’t killed her, they brought her into Enclave Twelve where she was eventually put to work. She didn’t want to tell anyone what she had in her possession because she did know that some of it involved the military. Enclave Twelve is ran by a rather stern Army Colonel who wanted to know what Bec knew so that maybe he would become more important to his superiors in Enclave One where the President resided. Yet, Bec didn’t want to turn anything over to anyone expect the President himself. So, she managed to befriend Rob and he eventually agreed to help her escape Enclave Twelve.
Meanwhile, Enclave One had heard of the Congressman’s attempt to reach that Enclave and that his convoy had been intercepted by the zombies, a.k.a., “Zekes” and pretty much destroyed. What they didn’t know was whether the Congressman had survived the attack or if he still have the vital information he was bringing still with him. So, they sent a Special Operator to conduct a search and rescue if warranted. That is where Sergeant First Class Obi and Master Sergeant Gator come into the book. “Obi” as he calls himself is a one man army and Gator is his dog, attack dog if you make the wrong moves. He asks the Colonel of Enclave Twelve to send someone with him since it’s not good to go roaming about the country side on your lonesome. So, Rob gets the call. Here he learns a lot about how to stay alive in a world gone mad.
They don’t find anything while searching for the Congressman, oh, they find him alright, but he’s had a bullet through his skull by one of the military guys that had accompanied him on his trip. It seems the convoy got attacked, the Congressman and some of the military had fled to a vacant garage and stayed there until the Congressman got too scared of just staying put. He broke out of the garage and ran right into a bunch of Zekes. Of course he got bit and that’s all it takes to turn your brain to much, but you don’t die. You become a Zeke and your favorite meal is a fresh human! It seems that the last military guy with the Congressman saw him turn into a Zeke so he shot him through the brain to make him permanently dead. This he told to Obi and Rob before he put a bullet through his own brain!
Ok, so Obi says he likes working with Rob. Rob’s not military but he can shoot pretty well and he doesn’t blabber all the time nor does he panic when the going gets rough. So, he tells Rob that if he needs any help sometime to give him a call and give Rob on of his satellite radio/telephones. Rob uses it to tell Obi that he and Bec are leaving Enclave Twelve and they need some help getting to Enclave One and the President. Initially Obi says he can’t get them an airlift so he tells them to head out on a specific route and he’ll try to meet them later.
Bec and Rob find a functioning truck and head out on the route Obi gave them. Everything is going fine until the his this town that unknown to them has been taken over by a bunch of lawless thugs! Here’s where they manage to destroy the truck Rob was driving, capture Bec and stick her in some house while throwing Rob in a jail cell. They have set themselves up in the Sheriff’s office having killed the Sheriff and his Deputies in pretty much cold blood. These thugs just didn’t like taking orders from the Sheriff so they took things into their own hands.
Obi finally gets some airlift although it’s not necessarily to go and find Rob and Bec. He kind of threatens the Air Force pilots to take his Osprey and land when they see Rob’s overturned and destroyed truck. They know something isn’t right with this town since the first people they see start shooting at them. Oh, Obi is accompanied by another Special Forces guy and a Navy Seal that both volunteered to help with the situation and of course, Obi has Gator.
From here on you’ll read about some pretty good stuff on how a well trained Special Forces Operator operates. He’s good at what he does and amateurs really don’t stand a chance. It’s bad enough that he has to kill former humans who have become zombies, but he really hates to have to kill guys that have just turned into idiots. For the most of this book, Rob is out of action. He got pretty banged up in the truck collision so it’s taking him a while to get well. Bec, meanwhile, is more than willing to help out and she does in ways some unexpected.
You’ll also read that something isn’t right with conditions in Enclave One. It’s definitely a military ran operation but doesn’t seem to be what’s going to save the nation. We do have some very unfortunate action very late in the book. I was surprised it happen, but now I’m more then ever ready to read book 3, “Isolation”, as soon as possible. It doesn’t appear to be available until 24 February 2026, so we’ve got a little wait.
==[Note 1 (12/23/2025): I’m no longer associated with Amazon and will no longer provide any links to books from that website. You can usually find books that you like at your usual source.]==
==[Note 2: As of 12/03/2023, this will not be posted on Amazon since I have been banned from posting reviews for some unknown reason. ]==
November 3, 2025
Thank you to NetGallery and the Publishers for sending me the Audiobook ARC.
Just wow. 🤯
This book had the right amount of zombies, actions, dialogue, and character development.
Without giving away to much, that ending hurt me 😭
This book was a lot better than the first book, and the narrator as well, he seemed more into the book this time. Ughhh I need the next book already.
Just wow. 🤯
This book had the right amount of zombies, actions, dialogue, and character development.
Without giving away to much, that ending hurt me 😭
This book was a lot better than the first book, and the narrator as well, he seemed more into the book this time. Ughhh I need the next book already.
November 3, 2025
Great Read
This is a “can’t put it down” series. Very edge of your seat. Can’t wait to turn the page. This is a great series.
This is a “can’t put it down” series. Very edge of your seat. Can’t wait to turn the page. This is a great series.
October 27, 2025
This was my first introduction to Devon C Ford and let me say, I have a new obsession. With that being said, this is the second book of this series so I do have to go back to read the first one. BUT I did not feel lost or unsure throghout this book. From the first few pages, I was completely drawn in. This story delivers a gripping, fast-paced story full of tension, heart, and oh my gosh, the twists!
One warning I want to put out is if strong hard military is not your thing, do not read this book. For me? I have "a sailors mouth," so the language was not a bother in the least bit. But, in this Mission you feel like you're in this world with the characters. Between Ford's world-building being vivid and immersive without ever slowing down the plot and the memorizing realistic character voices from the narrator.... you.are.there.
Ford has built the characters to be authentic, from the foul language, to their personal flaws, but widespread determination! . Between all of the gains, losses, and depth in this book, Mission is one that will live rent free in my brain for a while
One warning I want to put out is if strong hard military is not your thing, do not read this book. For me? I have "a sailors mouth," so the language was not a bother in the least bit. But, in this Mission you feel like you're in this world with the characters. Between Ford's world-building being vivid and immersive without ever slowing down the plot and the memorizing realistic character voices from the narrator.... you.are.there.
Ford has built the characters to be authentic, from the foul language, to their personal flaws, but widespread determination! . Between all of the gains, losses, and depth in this book, Mission is one that will live rent free in my brain for a while
January 8, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media Dreamscape Lore for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
Mission is book two of the Nation Down series. Rob and Bec are on the road in post apocalyptic USA. Ended on a cliff hanger, looking forward to the next book.
4 stars
Mission is book two of the Nation Down series. Rob and Bec are on the road in post apocalyptic USA. Ended on a cliff hanger, looking forward to the next book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews